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[magnust]

Please let me have a check box to disable the Playing Now tree so it does not auto expand. It always auto expands and pushes my Audio library views off the screen. I'm soooo tired of minimizing the Playing Now tree....

Please.

[StFeder]

+1 for that!!!

Even when using more than one zone I don't use the tree for switching between them (instead I use a locked view).

[kstuart]

There seems to be a lot of remnants in MediaCenter of some ancient way of doing things.

It must have involved spending all your time in that tiny left column that represents 5% of the screen area.

If I could press a button that would remove the entire left column permanently, I would do so.

The Panes concept makes the left column entirely unnecessary.

[6233638]

I'm not sure I agree with that. I used to use panes-style browsing in iTunes until my library got too big for it to be useful.
Now admittedly, I haven't spent much time with the panes view inside MC18, but it doesn't seem very different.

With Library views, I can completely customize how things are displayed depending on the genre of music (classical is listed completely differently from "regular" music for example) or any other number of variables.
I can look at the same group of items, but have them sorted differently - for films, I have a library view that shows everything, then sub-libraries for "new" and "seen" films.
Beneath that, I have various views set up that will sort them alphabetically, by date imported, by my rating, by critic ratings (for new films) and a number of other things.

With the panes view, you only have one view that you can narrow down to a selection - that's only useful when you know what you're looking for, and hopeless for browsing.


I wouldn't mind having the column on the left auto-hide though, as it does in cover view. (but with the controls visible at the top)
If you're just wanting to hide it though, double-clicking on the resize bar seems to do that. (I want to do that, but have it appear when I mouse over the left side of the screen)

[Fabricio]

... left auto-hide though, as it does in cover view.

I spoke here

http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=76774.0

[kstuart]

A number wrote:
" With Library views, I can completely customize how things are displayed depending on the genre of music (classical is listed completely differently from "regular" music for example) or any other number of variables."

I have that also, as tabs above the Panes area (" Classical - Lossless Releases ", "Jazz - Lossless Releases", " Main View incl Lossy ", etc. ).

" If you're just wanting to hide it though, double-clicking on the resize bar seems to do that. "

Sweet, thanks for the tip !

[kurushi]

When i launch MC the tree do not appear because in option u can specify if u want to have the same view when u have closed the programme just don't let appear the tree and that's all
Options is a good place to spend

[magnust]

A number wrote:
" With Library views, I can completely customize how things are displayed depending on the genre of music (classical is listed completely differently from "regular" music for example) or any other number of variables."

I have that also, as tabs above the Panes area (" Classical - Lossless Releases ", "Jazz - Lossless Releases", " Main View incl Lossy ", etc. ).

" If you're just wanting to hide it though, double-clicking on the resize bar seems to do that. "

Sweet, thanks for the tip !

I've used tabs to see if that suited me but I actually like the audio library tree much better. I have more views than IMHO fits nicely as tabs and I also use the hierarchical sub tree to group some views together. That's the problem with software, you can't cater for all tastes all the time. But even with that said, can we please get the option not have the Playing Now always autoexpand as it finds one uPNP after another.

[magnust]

When i launch MC the tree do not appear because in option u can specify if u want to have the same view when u have closed the programme just don't let appear the tree and that's all
Options is a good place to spend

Doesn't solve the Playing Now auto expanding (which I don't want to see) when I want to see the Audio library views 

[kurushi]

I use a split view so i have always the playing now in the second view  but i have all my tab in the same way before closed in the first view  and tree is always closed.
If i open MC i see this:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/46486393.png/
The playing now is at the right side but if i hide it when i launch MC it doesn't appear automatically.

[magnust]

I use a split view so i have always the playing now in the second view  but i have all my tab in the same way before closed in the first view  and tree is always closed.
If i open MC i see this:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/401/46486393.png/
The playing now is at the right side but if i hide it when i launch MC it doesn't appear automatically.

Do you have Media Network / DLNA enabled and some other players and servers available on your network?

[kurushi]

no all of this is disabled in the options.

[magnust]

no all of this is disabled in the options.

Playing Now always auto expands it's full tree when that setting is enabled.

And it has to be enabled to be possible to use DLNA....

[kurushi]

i don't use dlna and playing now don't expand.
Go to option ==>startup==>
mode.: last exit  view  
location:last location
and show tree is disabled .
That's all

i have tried with dlna enabled i have the same behaviour:)

[magnust]

i don't use dlna and playing now don't expand.
Go to option ==>startup==>
mode.: last exit  view  
location:last location
and show tree is disabled .
That's all

i have tried with dlna enabled i have the same behaviour:)

Thanks for trying to help!! But it's strange it doesn't work for me.

mode.: last exit  view  -- check
location:last location  -- check
and show tree is disabled  -- check

The Playing now tree that starts "closed" as one single item in the left pane always starts autoexpanding it's tree a few seconds after starting MC as it finds the different players and servers one by one in my home.

I want to see the Audio library view tree. I don't want the Playing Now tree expanded. As in these two pics, the second pic shows how it looks and I need to click to minimize the upper tree, the Playing Now tree. I do this many many times a day. What I want is that tree not opening and expanding so I always get what it looks like in the first pic:

[magnust]

And so no one misunderstands. If the Playing Now tree has been minimized by clicking on it so it's only one item in the left pane it will automatically expand again and again and again every time a new player is started or closed somewhere in my home (WMP or MC for example on a pc or an android phone with dlna enabled or whatever). Gaaaaahhhhh.

[kurushi]

try to set a view with "allow tree selection" unchecked and "tree browsing unchecked "too i dunno if it 'll be better but u can try and see what happen i have no more ideas.

[6233638]

So now that I've been experimenting using multiple zones for different content, I'm finding this to be a problem as well. Even though I have auto-expand disabled, if I have a tab set up for the "Overview" zone, any time I switch to that it auto-expands the "Playing Now" section, pushing other sections of the tree off the bottom of the screen.

[magnust]

... I have auto-expand disabled ...

Where? How?

[6233638]

Where? How?

Under Tools > Options > Tree & View, there is an Auto Expand option for the tree view.
I have this disabled because it lets me keep both the Audio and Video categories open at the same time.
I would actually prefer sub-categories to auto-expand/close when navigating the tree, but not the main Audio/Images/Video/etc. headings.

It doesn't seem to have any impact on "Playing Now" though. Sorry if that got your hopes up.

[kurushi]

Like i have said options is a good place to spend

[magnust]

Under Tools > Options > Tree & View, there is an Auto Expand option for the tree view.
I have this disabled because it lets me keep both the Audio and Video categories open at the same time.
I would actually prefer sub-categories to auto-expand/close when navigating the tree, but not the main Audio/Images/Video/etc. headings.

It doesn't seem to have any impact on "Playing Now" though. Sorry if that got your hopes up.

Thanks. Agree, doesn't prevent Playing Now from expanding it's full tree. Thanks anyway 

[magnust]

Like i have said options is a good place to spend

Hehe, yup, a lot of experimenting possible. But still no working solution found 

[kurushi]

yep it's like my (locate on disk internal who don't appear in the last shortcuts) have u tried to :
1 save you're settings
2 to reinstall MC
3 to test if the autoexpand disable work and then
4 to import you're setting and see if its works?

[magnust]

yep it's like my (locate on disk internal who don't appear in the last shortcuts) have u tried to :
1 save you're settings
2 to reinstall MC
3 to test if the autoexpand disable work and then
4 to import you're setting and see if its works?

It seems no one has a MC running that doesn't auto expand Now Playing when DLNA is enabled and servers/players are present on the network..

My guess is that MC is made to behave this way and there currently is no way to prevent it. If anyone with insight in the code can confirm - or give a hint if it's possible to get the wanted behavior with the current release?

[kurushi]

well for me even with dlna enabled or no the playing now don't expand.

[magnust]

well for me even with dlna enabled or no the playing now don't expand.

Really appreciate you trying to help me!

If you manually expand Playing Now, what items does that tree contain?

[kurushi]

it looks like this:

[6233638]

it looks like this:

You don't seem to have any DLNA devices connected.

It seems that as soon as MC detects a DLNA device on the network (in my case, the display the PC is hooked up to) it auto-expands.

[kurushi]

yep i can  enabled it in options but don't use it maybe is it why it don't autoexpand.

[magnust]

You don't seem to have any DLNA devices connected.

It seems that as soon as MC detects a DLNA device on the network (in my case, the display the PC is hooked up to) it auto-expands.

Yup. Seems like that.



So back to begging for a change in MC - can we please have an option to disable auto expand when DLNA devices are found. And not auto expand again when they disappear!!!! Please. Pretty pretty please. I don't know how many times a day I click to minimize that tree   



Maybe to just get the currrent option -> Tree & View -> Tree -> Auto Expand to actually work properly




PS:
Nice looking player skin BTW Kurushi.

[kurushi]

well grab it on this forum

[Matt]

So back to begging for a change in MC - can we please have an option to disable auto expand when DLNA devices are found. And not auto expand again when they disappear!!!! Please. Pretty pretty please. I don't know how many times a day I click to minimize that tree   

If the tree is hidden, it stays hidden.

If the tree is showing, it does expand to show devices that are found.  We did this to make sure people could find their devices.

Could you help us understand why the auto-expand is a problem for you?  Is it functionally getting in your way, or is it just a tidiness thing?

[kurushi]

I am pretty sure because it's annoying for him to click on the tree anytime MC is launched or a new dlna is found. I understand this.
By default it show but then it would be good to totally disabled it.

[6233638]

If the tree is hidden, it stays hidden.

If the tree is showing, it does expand to show devices that are found.  We did this to make sure people could find their devices.

Could you help us understand why the auto-expand is a problem for you?  Is it functionally getting in your way, or is it just a tidiness thing?

For me, the main issue was vertical space.

However, I've just spent a bit of time looking over how auto-expand works, and it actually does mostly work how I want it to - I just have to be careful to expand sections I want to stay open with the arrows. (my biggest issue with how auto-expand worked was because I was just clicking on the name for the main Audio/Images/Video/etc. categories)

I would still prefer it to not auto-expand when DLNA devices connect, and would like it if DLNA devices were in a sub-section of the Playing Now tree (that stays collapsed if you close it manually) rather than at the same level as my other zones, because DLNA devices are not controlled by MC directly.

The main issues I still have with how auto-expand works in MC18 are:

• The state of the tree is not saved when you close and re-open MC.
• DLNA devices auto-expand the Playing Now tree.
• Switching to a tab will auto-expand where it is in the tree if it is not currently visible. I would like this to be optional.
• Items with "support tree browsing" enabled but no sub-views do not auto-expand/collapse the tree.
• The "Drives and Devices" tree does not auto-expand when a new disc is inserted - though this would be less necessary with finer-grained autoplay controls (#27)

[magnust]

If the tree is hidden, it stays hidden.

If the tree is showing, it does expand to show devices that are found.  We did this to make sure people could find their devices.

Could you help us understand why the auto-expand is a problem for you?  Is it functionally getting in your way, or is it just a tidiness thing?

Thanks for listening!


I always have the Audio library tree expanded. That is where I navigate to different parts of my music collection and i use this tree a lot. I have a bunch of views so it takes up a bit of vertical space.


I rarely use the Playing Now tree items. So I want that tree "closed" so I only see the main item named "Playing Now". This saves vertical space AND reduces clutter. I can manually expand it if need be.

But every time any DLNA entity is found on the network the tree auto expands. So I close the tree again and again. And every time any DLNA network entity is closed it also auto expands. So just bout every time a pc or tablet is started or shut down in my home... autoexpand! And every time I start MC I need to manually close the tree of course, but I need to wait a bit since the items pop up one by one during a minute or something.



Are my ramblings decodable? If anything is unclear I'm MORE than happy to try to explain more
 

[Matt]

If you never want to control the other devices, you could turn off the 'DLNA Controller' option.  This will keep them from showing in the tree at all.

Does that help?

[6233638]

If you never want to control the other devices, you could turn off the 'DLNA Controller' option.  This will keep them from showing in the tree at all.

Does that help?

As is often the case; there's already an option inside MC that I just wasn't aware of. I'm glad to have this option to stop DLNA devices showing up in the "Playing Now" list, but while I don't usually want to control them via MC, it can be useful to see what clients are connected.

I think that moving DLNA devices under a "DLNA" sub-heading in the tree, similar to the "Playing from main library" section rather than simply being added to the bottom of the zone list would be an improvement in usability.

I do still think that tree navigation could be improved though, as outlined in my previous post.

[magnust]

If you never want to control the other devices, you could turn off the 'DLNA Controller' option.  This will keep them from showing in the tree at all.

Does that help?

- I use MC as a server for dlna renderers on my network - controlling it with an Android tablet control point

- I also sometimes but not as often remote control MC as a renderer using using an Android tablet (and in some cases gizmo)

So it would be okey if I can have both the DLNA server and renderer enabled in MC but not see the other servers and renderers in the Now playing tree (since I so far never used MC as a control point for other renderers on the network).



So I would guess the answer is no?


EDIT:

I fiddled a bit. If I have:

DLNA enabled
DLNA server enabled
DLNA renderer enabled
DLNA controller disabled

The tree doesn't auto expand   Tada!



EDIT2:

Interestingly enough other DLNA-servers pop up one after the other as before under Playing Now ---> but it doesn't auto expand the tree. Happy customer!
 

[magnust]

If you never want to control the other devices, you could turn off the 'DLNA Controller' option.  This will keep them from showing in the tree at all.

Does that help?

Thanks!